Manchester-based NCC Group reports it has passed the evaluation process by The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the body that controls the domain name system on the internet.

The .secure domain is one of 1,800 new domain names which are being introduced, which also include .shop, .book and .social.

NCC is up against online retail giant Amazon in the race to win the .secure domain name.

NCC paid an initial $185,000 to apply for the .secure domain name, which it says will give consumers confidence that a website is safe, and the total investment in winning the domain is expected to be up to £10m.

But it is up against rival Amazon, which wants to use the domain name on its site and would not share it with any other firms.

NCC would initially offer the .secure domain to FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies before making it more widely available.